Title

Author

Graduation Year

2007

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Granting Department

Nursing

Major Professor

Mary E. Evans, Ph.D.

Keywords

LISREL, Adolescent girls, Young women, Physical activity

Abstract

A dramatic decline in physical activity levels occurs from adolescence to young adulthood. Those who were sedentary as adolescents tend to maintain a sedentary lifestyle. Women are particularly vulnerable to the effects of a sedentary lifestyle because of the risk for cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this research was to test a theoretical model of exercise in adolescent and young adult women using the theory of unpleasant symptoms with social cognitive variables and then to test a revised model that was determined a priori. The central hypotheses were that the relationships as depicted in the proposed theoretical models would be reproducible in data from adolescent and young adult women of ages 18 to 25.